


Synthpathetic

by Taliax



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, Bisexual Luka Couffaine, Bob Roth has no rights, Humor, Idiots in Love, Luxy, M/M, Original Akuma, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion, believe it or not its not crack, gay xy but thats not a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25168762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliax/pseuds/Taliax
Summary: It comes down to Viperion and a kazoo to save an akumatized XY.  Hopefully Bob Roth will be the only one who gets hurt.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/XY (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38





	Synthpathetic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [j_majka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_majka/gifts).



> Takes place sometime near the end of S3 in a (better) alternate universe where Luka and XY actually worked together post-Silencer and became friends. Miracle Queen hasn't happened here. Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> EDIT: totally forgot to say that the name Synthpathetic was Maddy's idea!! thank you so much!!

“Lyre, I am Hawk—”

 _“Liar?”_ XY scoffed. His vision had gone all pinky-purple, which was weird. Wasn’t anger supposed to be red? Maybe all the tears in his eyes were blurring the color. “I didn’t _lie._ It was Dad who lied and said it was my idea to steal music again. It wasn’t even my idea the first time! He knows I never have _any_ ideas!”

Hawksloth sighed in XY’s mind. Weird. XY didn’t know that telepathy could include sounds like that. 

“I meant _lyre_ as in the instrument.”

“But it’s a pun on liar. And that’s Viperion’s weapon, anyway. It’s probably copyrighted or something. Which I would know, because I _don’t steal music anymore.”_

Luka had _offered_ to collab with him. And Dad had liked Kitty Section’s music before, so why did he throw such a fit when Luka and XY made something together now? Dad had told him to go back to his algorithm-generated music, but that didn’t have half the sexy vibes of his new tracks.

“Fine,” Hawkbroth growled. “Your name can be—”

“Ooh, ooh, let me pick! I’ve got the perfect one!”

“Somehow I doubt that…”

“Synthpathetic!”

Hawkmoth’s voice went silent. Was XY’s akuma name so amazing it had intimidated the supervillain?

“You know, because your stupid butterfly flew into my synth?” He pressed down on the keys, which had gone all purple-black and bubbly, like toxic ooze. Ooh, that might make a good idea for a song…

“I’m beginning to regret this already,” Hawkmoth muttered.

“Hey, no take backs! At least not until I deck my dad.” This day had already mega sucked, but he was gonna get _something_ good out of it.

“And then you will bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses.”

“Sure, sure, whatever. Think you’ll need a bit more jewelry than that to make up for your ugly wrestler costume though.” XY has never seen Hawkgoth in person, but the animation in the Larybug movie made him look stupid. Did Hawkflop’s teeth really look like that? They’d given him nightmares.

 _“Ugly—!_ No, let’s just get this over with, and then I can drop this facade.” Hawkroth seemed to be talking to himself, but XY could still hear him. Awkward. “Synthpathetic! I give you the power to expose your enemies as the liars they are. In return I ask for—”

“Yeah, yeah, some tacky jewelry. You sure you don’t want Viperion’s bracelet? That thing’s _way_ cooler and has a better power than, I dunno, making polka dot desk lamps.”

Somehow XY had the image of Hawkfrost’s eye twitching.

“I will show you _tacky.”_

Then the purple-black swallowed XY up, leaving only Synthpathetic in his place.

XXX

“Synthpathetic. Hawkmoth must really hate you, huh,” Luka deadpanned while watching the Ladyblog stream on his phone. The screen showed a villain in a short gray coat and tall hair and… Luka pulled his eyes away from those tight golden shorts. He refocused his attention on the keyboard that seemed to be growing out of the akuma’s forearm. Wires connected the keyboard to a metal cuff over his bicep. Was one of those objects where the akuma was hiding? Or maybe it was in the sharp pink sunglasses. Heck, it even could’ve been in the hot pink XY-themed boots.

Even if it weren’t for those gaudy pumps, Luka would’ve known it was XY. No one else could pull off such a ridiculous outfit.

And of course, there was also the fact that Bob Roth had just gone on live television and “announced” that XY’s latest music was stolen.

Luka’s chest felt hollow. He should’ve been there for XY. It was Luka who’d told him to stand up to his dad, that XY should be able to express himself through whatever music he wanted. Clearly, that had backfired.

“Yo, Bob Roth! Does _this_ sound stolen to you?” Synthpathetic stared into the camera as he pressed a chord with his left hand, and music burst from the instrument attached to his arm. The camera shook, and Alya’s hair whipped across the screen as she was blown across the street.

“Okay, so we have confirmation of this akuma’s target,” she announced, breathing heavily. The camera refocused; she must have stood up. “That’s weird, I’m feeling kind of—”

Suddenly her voice cut off. And then she burst out singing.

_“Rena Rouge is my hero name, I said it out loud! Nino is my boyfriend and I love his Soundcloud!”_

_That_ didn’t sound right. Not that it wasn’t true—but why would Alya say that on her Ladyblog livestream, much less _sing_ it? Unless—

“Oh no,” Alya whispered. The camera flipped around to show her face. “I wish I could say that was a lie, but I’m committed to bringing you only the truth. It seems like Synthpathetic’s power makes you sing something important to you. Maybe even something secret. Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t yet on the scene—”

Luka clicked off the screen and jumped on his bike. He just hoped he’d be able to make it downtown in time.

XXX

“Ladybug!” Luka shouted, leaping off his bike. It kept going and crashed into the side of the hotel. He winced. Hopefully Ladybug’s miracle cure would take care of that. Not that the state of his bike was important compared to saving XY.

“Luka?” She gasped before handspringing away from one of Synthpathetic’s musical blasts. “What are you doing here? I already told Alya to clear the area!”

Luka had biked past the Ladyblogger too quickly for her to stop him. No one else had gotten past though, not that they’d want to. He’d briefly noticed Bob Roth cowering against the side of a building, Nino standing guard over him.

In the street Synthpathetic had already ravaged, it was just him and Ladybug, and Chat Noir and the villain. Chat was currently distracting him by waving his baton in a ¾ time signature.

“Not cool, man! That doesn’t match my 4/4 beats at all!” Sythnpathetic pouted, but Luka couldn’t focus on him yet.

“I need the snake miraculous,” he told Ladybug.

She yanked him around the corner of the hotel as a wave of music notes nearly struck them.

“If he hits you, you’ll be forced to give up your identity, just like Rena Rouge,” he continued quickly. “You and Chat Noir can’t risk that.”

He didn’t bring up the other reason why he was here. He wasn’t sure he could’ve put it into words, anyway. He just… he needed to be here.

If only he could’ve Second Chanced and stopped himself from giving XY that stupid advice in the first place.

“I know. That’s why I just got back from asking the Guardian for this.” She pulled the bracelet out of her yo-yo. “I was planning on giving it to Nino as soon as he took care of Bob Roth, but since you’re here—”

“Great.” He slipped on the bracelet. His kwami barely had the chance to materialize before he shouted, “Sass, scales slither!”

Ladybug gasped as the bright turquoise light washed over him. He barely heard it over the sound of Synthpathetic’s beats. Was Chat Noir doing okay? Luka hadn’t heard him sing yet, at least.

“Did anyone see that?” Ladybug’s brow furrowed beneath her mask. “I think we’re hidden enough behind this corner, but if anyone saw you transform, you won’t be able to be a hero again.”

That hardly mattered. Ladybug could always find someone else to wield the snake miraculous. She’d planned to give it to Nino, anyway. No, what mattered right now was making sure XY didn’t reveal the real heroes’ identities.

And making sure that XY would be okay when all this was over.

“Do you have your Lucky Charm yet?” He asked.

She spun her yo-yo in the air, and a polka-dotted kazoo fell into her hands. What she was going to do with _that,_ Luka had no idea. But that was why he was Viperion and not Ladybug. His job was just to stay out of the way and buy the real heroes some time.

“Second Chance,” he whispered, tugging at the snake bracelet’s tongue. 

Five minutes. Hopefully they wouldn’t need it.

XXX

They needed it.

Hawkmoth must have given XY extra agility on top of his magical music. Synthpathetic backflipped through the air as he blasted out chord after chord, even some arpeggios and scales for good measure. The melodies reminded Luka of the time they’d spent writing songs together in Luka’s room, humming back and forth. XY would make up senseless lyrics that made them both laugh. Luka would improv a harmony, while XY put each note in careful place.

They made a good team. It was too bad they were fighting on opposite sides now.

Each time a wave of translucent music hit Ladybug or Chat Noir, Luka was forced to reset before they began to sing. He couldn’t risk learning the heroes’ identities, even if they would never know he knew.

Through it all, Ladybug never seemed to find a use for her kazoo. She tried playing it, but Synthpathetic couldn’t hear over his own music. She tried throwing it, but it just got stuck in Synthpathetic’s tall mass of hair. She even strung it on her yo-yo, which made Chat Noir laugh and get hit with a musical blast.

_She’ll come up with something. She’s Ladybug._

“Why don’t you guys attack Bob Roth instead of me? I’m _way_ more sympathetic!” XY whined for the eleventh time. Sometimes Luka found XY’s nasally voice endearing, but right now it just made him grimace.

“I’m still surprised he knows what that word means,” Luka muttered before scooping up his lyre and scrambling to his feet. The most recent blast of notes hadn’t hit him directly, but it had taken out of a corner of the hotel and knocked him back. Dust made it hard to tell if Ladybug or Chat Noir had been hit. But he’d already reset so many times; he didn’t want to waste any more chances than he had to, especially since every time he had to explain to Ladybug what tactics they’d already tried.

Every time, she insisted that he stay hidden. He’d be too much of a target for the villain if he was in the open, she said. And besides, what else could he do? His weapon was a _lyre._ Even a guitar would’ve been easier to attack villains with.

Not that he really _wanted_ to attack XY. Synthpathetic. They weren’t the same—he had to remember that. This blue-skinned villain wasn’t his friend. Luka had come to help Ladybug knowing that he would have to fight him, so why did the thought of it turn his stomach?

“Don’t worry, XY. We’ll save you… somehow.”

XXX

“We need a new strategy,” Ladybug said after Luka (for the twelfth time) explained what went wrong. “The time we defeated Desperada, you used your lyre to distract her. XY was a musician too, right? Maybe that will work again.”

Luka swallowed. “So you want him to know I’m here?”

“We don’t have anything to lose. He’ll forget once you Second Chance if this doesn’t work. Do you think you can do it?”

“I… yeah. I can.” He tried to sound more confident than he felt.

“Perfect. Chat and I will hide on two of the hotel balconies, where we can drop on him when he’s not expecting it. Here.” She pressed the kazoo into his hand. “I have a feeling this is supposed to be for you.”

“Um… alright.” He pulled off one of his lyre’s strings, then used it to string the kazoo around his neck. 

She didn’t give him any more instructions other than “Good luck, Viperion.” 

With that, she swung towards Chat Noir and scooped him up in her arms. The faint sound of their banter drifted in between Synthpathetic’s blasts. Then they were gone, disappearing over the railing of a high balcony.

“What the—hey! Why are you running? You finally realize how scary I am?” Synthpathetic shouted up from the street. 

“In that shade of pink and those shorts? Terrifying,” Luka deadpanned while stepping out from behind the corner.

Synthpathetic’s pointed shades slipped off his nose as he gaped. Beneath, his blue eyes were practically bulging out of his head.

 _Guess that’s not the akumatized object,_ Luka mused as the glasses cracked on the pavement.

 _“Viperion!”_ Synthpathetic ran forward, clapping his hands together like he’d just won tickets to a concert. “You’re like, my favorite superhero! Can you sign my forehead?”

Luka’s jaw went slack. This wasn’t part of his plan. He was just supposed to distract Synthpathetic while Ladybug and Chat Noir dropped on the villain from above. 

“You know it’ll just wear off once we beat you, right?”

XY—Synthpathetic—pouted. Geez, it was hard to remember this wasn’t his friend when his eyes looked like that. “You’re just saying that because you don’t want to do it, aren’t you? Of course you wouldn’t like me. I’m still just a villain, even if I’m a sympathetic one.”

He crossed his arms, accidentally pressing a few keys on the synth plugged into his arm. A soft minor chord blurred the air around his feet.

“Hey, I never said that,” Luka replied, but Synthpathetic just frowned.

“Did you know I always wanted to fight on your side?”

Luka blinked. “No, I can’t say I did.”

“Yeah. I never thought I’d meet you like this.” He chuckled sadly before wincing and digging a finger in his ear. “Hawksloth is yelling at me again. He wants me to take your bracelet. I think it looks better on you than me, though.”

Warmth coursed through Luka at the compliment, even if it shouldn’t have meant anything coming from someone wearing such eye-stabbing colors. 

“You’re still in there, aren’t you? XY.”

“You—you know his name?” His eyes sparkled. “I mean—of course you do, he’s famous. But no, I’m not him. I just want to beat up his dad.”

 _You and me both,_ he wanted to say. But siding with an akuma probably wasn’t the best strategy.

Distraction. That was his only job. Where were Ladybug and Chat Noir? He scanned the side of the hotel, but didn’t see either of them. Better keep Synthpathetic talking, then.

“What did he do to you—I mean, to XY?”

Synthpathetic groaned. “Man, he was not cash money at _all._ He hated XY and Kitty Section’s collab cause it was like, too awesome and gay or something, I don’t even know. So anyway, he told everyone XY just _stole_ the songs when he wrote them himself and— _ngh!”_

Synthpathetic clutched his head. “Hawkbroth—shut _up!_ I’m trying to talk to my idol here!”

Luka’s heart felt fuzzy in spite of himself. He should take a note from Hawkmoth and start fighting too. There was no telling how long Chat and Ladybug were going to take, and his miraculous only showed two minutes left.

Suddenly Synthpathetic straightened. “Sorry, bro. I hope this doesn't hurt.”

Luka twisted his bracelet right before the keyboard bashed into his head.

XXX

“Viperion! You’re like, my favorite superhero! Can you sign my forehead?” 

Luka couldn't help laughing. Even hearing it for the second time, XY was just too cute.

_Not XY. Don’t get distracted this time._

“Sure. I’ll just need to know where your akuma is in return.”

“Deal! The dumb butterfly flew into—” He cried out and clutched his head again. Guess Hawkmoth wouldn’t let Luka win that easy.

“You’re _mean,”_ Synthpathetic said, but Luka wasn’t sure if he was talking to him or Hawkmoth.

Either way, Luka had to act on his distraction. He lunged forward, crashing his lyre against the keyboard. The resulting blast of music blew them both towards opposite sides of the street.

Luka gritted his teeth against the song building in his lungs, and he twisted his bracelet. 

XXX

“Viperion! You’re like, my favorite superhero! Can you sign my forehead? Wha—hey!” 

This time, Luka ran in swinging. A lyre wasn’t as useful a weapon as a baton or yo-yo, but it could still hurt if it connected right.

Unfortunately, Luka didn’t know how to make it connect right. He again wished he could replace his weapon with a guitar. But as it was, Synthpathetic parried easily and leapt back.

“I wanted to fight with you, not against you!”

“Hawkmoth didn’t give you much of a choice, did he?”

Luka ran in again. It was a stupid strategy for him—Chat Noir was the only one who could carelessly run into danger and get away with it.

But by now, he was _mad._ XY was his friend. Luka had never seen him get more upset than when Luka had eaten the last slice of pizza. Bob Roth’s betrayal must have cut deep. 

Really, Luka would rather be fighting that sleazebag than this akuma, but XY wouldn’t come back until Synthpathetic was gone.

So he punched, and kicked, and ignored Synthpathetic’s pleas to leave him alone.

“Give him a left hook! No, a right elbow! Come on kid, who taught you how to fight, some little Tinkerbell?”

Luka glanced over his shoulder, where Bob Roth had shoved past Nino and Alya.

“Sorry, I tried to stop him!” Nino said.

 _“LIAR!”_ Synthpathetic shouted, sprinting at full speed towards the older man. 

Nino and Alya dove out of the way just in time for Synthpathetic’s fist to connect with Bob Roth’s jaw. Luka winced appreciatively at the _crack_. 

“That was for insulting Viperion’s fighting.” 

Then Synthpathetic kicked Bob in the crotch. 

“And _that_ was for calling XY a thief.”

Bob dropped to the ground with a high-pitched whine.

“You’re not going to play your music on him?” Alya asked. Her phone was out and filming again despite being a mere meter from the akuma. It wasn’t surprising that Ladybug had picked her to be Rena Rouge; she certainly had the guts for it.

“Nah.” Synthpathetic picked at something between his teeth, and the keyboard attached to his arm knocked against his chin. “Wouldn’t do any good. He’d make up some kinda lie later, like he did to Lu before.”

Synthpathetic had a point there. More importantly, though, he was still distracted enough for Luka to slice his lyre through the wires connecting the keyboard to his arm.

“Ow!” Synthpathetic cried out as sparks flew from the wires. Unfortunately though, no black butterfly flew out with it. “Look, I really didn’t even want to fight you. Hawkcrotch doesn’t care about your bracelet that much. Plus, you’ve got a cute face. Wouldn’t want to bruise it or anything.”

Luka blushed at that, but shook it off. He didn’t have much time. The responsible thing to do would be to Second Chance now, but the selfish part of him didn’t want to undo Bob Roth’s humiliation.

Plus, he finally caught sight of Chat Noir perched on the roof.

“You don’t have to hurt me, you know.” Luka spread his arms wide. “You could always just play your music. If you like me so much, you’d want to know my deep, dark secrets, wouldn’t you?”

Synthpathetic’s grin showed all of his perfect white teeth. “Great idea! You’re hot _and_ smart!”

Luka’s bracelet began to beep, but he didn’t flinch. _Ladybug, you better be ready…_

Synthpathetic’s fingers flashed across the keys. The chorus from Mr. Brightside boomed like a shot from a canon. It took Luka in the chest, but he dug his heels into the concrete and remained standing as he skidded back.

The song built in his chest. Chat Noir jumped from the roof.

Right before Luka was forced to sing, he shoved the kazoo in his mouth.

“What? No fair!” Synthpathetic whined as a rhythmic buzzing was the only sound from Luka.

The only sound out loud, anyway. In his heart, Luka felt the words that Synthpathetic couldn’t hear.

 _“Cataclysm!”_ Chat Noir shouted. Synthpathetic barely had time to look up before the hero’s outstretched hand pressed down on the keyboard.

Everything happened at once. Ladybug’s yo-yo caught Chat Noir by the ankle, stopping him from splatting into the pavement. The synth disintegrated around XY’s arm, and violet light bubbled around him. Ladybug lowered Chat to the ground before snapping up the dark butterfly. Then, finally, she swung herself down to the street.

She landed between Luka and XY and held out her hand. Luka stared at it blankly for a moment before spitting out the kazoo and handing it over.

She grimaced as Chat Noir’s cheeks puffed with laughter.

“Ah, er, thanks… uh, Miraculous Ladybug!”

Pink light exploded in the sky. Buildings repaired themselves; chunks of rubble disappeared. Bob Roth was still lying on the ground, but Chat Noir hefted him up and deposited him on the hotel’s front steps.

That taken care of, Luka crouched down beside XY, who was rubbing his head.

“Ngh, what…? Viperion!” XY’s whole face lit up like Christmas. “You’re like, my favorite superhero! Can you sign my forehead?” 

Luka laughed. “Of course, XY. Do you have a pen on you?”

“You know my name!” He beamed at Ladybug and Chat Noir, who was jogging back already. He probably didn’t want to be around Bob any longer than he had to. “Did you hear that? My favorite superhero knows my name!”

“Seems like he’s got you taken care of then.” Chat Noir winked at XY. “What do you say, my Lady? Should we leave them to it?”

“Don’t forget about your timer,” Ladybug told Luka. “And meet me around the corner when you’re done.”

“Right.” He nodded. One minute left. He could handle that, even if he wished he had more time.

Particularly now that he knew what truth had been buried so deep in his heart, only the akuma’s magic could release it.

XY giggled as Luka accepted his pink sharpie and signed _Viperion_ in curling script across his forehead. He left a second signature on his purple headband for good measure.

“I’m never washing my face again,” XY swooned.

“You know, clean faces get more kisses,” Luka replied seriously.

XY’s eyes widened. “You—wait, would you actually—?” 

Luka smiled and pressed a kiss to XY’s cheek.

“Please don’t forget to wash that, too.” 

Then he saluted and dashed towards where Ladybug had disappeared. As he ran, the synth-driven song still beat in his heart:

_My real name’s Luka, that’s not new. But did you know I’ve got a crush on you?_

XXX

XY replayed the Ladyblog footage of Synthpathetic punching his dad. Each _crack_ was like music to his ears. Maybe he could remix that into a new track. 

“I wonder if Ladybug’s magic dust fixed that.”

Luka snorted, strumming his guitar from where he sat on his bed. It was a relaxing tune, one XY hadn’t heard before. “I hope not. He deserved it after he lied about you.”

XY smiled. It was nice to have a friend on his side, for once. Luka had been there to pick him up and take him back to the Liberty after Viperion had left. Dad had tried to stop them from leaving together, but there wasn’t much he could do when XY sat on Luka’s bike handlebars, stuck his tongue out, and let Luka pedal them away. It wasn’t _quite_ as romantic as being carried by Viperion would’ve been, but it was a close second.

Luka’s quiet music faltered, his hands fumbling on the strings. “Hey, XY…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I gave you that advice. To stand up to you dad, I mean. I should’ve known he’d just end up hurting you.”

XY shrugged. “Honestly, man? I’d do it all again. I got to punch him _and_ I got a kiss from Viperion.” He touched his cheek, sighing dreamily. That kiss had been after he was brought back to normal, so he could still remember it perfectly.

Of course, having replayed it seventy-eight times on the Ladyblog helped, too.

“I’m glad you’re happy, but… what are you going to do now? Aren’t you worried about your career?”

“Nah.” XY leaned his head back against the side of Luka’s bed and closed his eyes. “I’ve made enough money to break off from Dad, even if I have to get a slummy apartment. But I bet Viperion’s gonna fly me off into the sunset before I have to worry about that.”

Luka laughed. “Viperion doesn’t fly, you know—”

“He would for me.”

“—and he doesn’t always have his miraculous. Maybe he wants to come rescue you, but he can’t.”

XY frowned. With the power of Second Chance, he doubted there was anything Viperion couldn’t do.

“Doesn’t matter,” XY decided. “I’ll wait for him. I know I’ll see him again.”

Luka’s melody picked up again, bringing another smile to XY’s face. Could Viperion play the guitar that well? XY daydreamed that he could.

Luka’s whisper blended with the music.

“I know you will, too.”


End file.
